Mustachians who escape winter: where do you go? What does your winter place have to offer? It's hard to spot a Mustachian snowbird destination... lots of luxury and golf on offer, so finding something more suitable to a frugal and active Mustachian is going to take some looking. But maybe you already know the perfect spot?

Myself, I'm looking for place with lots of outdoor activities and natural beauty, especially great biking and hiking, preferably with some good hills, or actual mountains. Low cost of living would be nice, must be possible to bring my cats. I'd enjoy taking advantage of longer days in the southern hemisphere, though want to feel secure, especially if I go out alone.

Do you already live in paradise, or at least go there in winter? Tell us about it!

...Most other ER'd and R'd people I know who do the snowbird thing do it backwards like me - have a permanent home somewhere warm and leave for cooler places in summer. The downside of that is that it is often more expensive and more crowded. The upside is that the weather is generally better and the days are longer.

That is what I plan to do. Permanent home in FL (no state income tax in FL) and come north visiting during the hot summer months.Spartana, had not thought of the advantage of longer days in being a reverse snowbird!

I'm not FI or RE, but I took the winter off last year for 6 months to be a snowbird. I went to Arizona.

Lots of outdoor activities. The beauty of the desert took awhile, but it grew on me. Tons of biking and hiking. I spent a lot of time hiking and didn't see even a fraction of what is there. Cheap cost of living too.

I plan to do the opposite. We currently have a vaca home in Florida and plan to live in it when kids are gone. Would like to have a place (or rent a place) in the summers "up north".

Main reason to do the opposite is that we already live in the south and are more comfortable with excess heat (and sun) than excess cold (and gray). AND, that the state taxes are nil in places like Florida.

For summers, we'd look to Oregon or WA State (I understand no state income tax there, but ..... ) or perhaps somewhere along the Appalachians that would be driving distance.

Speaking of this, does anyone have a good site for searching month-long plus rentals? I love vrbo, but it is not easy to search for monthly rentals (cost, availability) and most would rather rent out for four separate weeks (and charge more) than rent a full month at a time.

I'm not a snowbird, except that I live in Chicago and visit my family in San Diego once a year, but I'll echo the Borrego Springs area as affordable and beautiful. It is a small town surrounded by state parkland and endless exploration. It is right next to the mountains- you can drive up them to be in the forest in 30 mins. You're 45ish mins south of Palm Springs and very close to the bizarre but fascinating Salton Sea. It is warm and, oddly (wrongly?), has citrus orchards in town. The state park is open- you are allowed to camp wherever you want on it without fee/permit. The stars are brilliant.

I go on trips in the winter - visit National Parks... but most of Australia is better to visit in winter than summer. The tropical north is just about impassable in the wet (monsoon) season, and the centre of Australia is incredibly hot, so there's not much point in visiting places in summer IMO. Plus, the vegetable and fruit garden isn't doing much in the middle of winter.

Between our three home bases there is enough diversity of flora, fauna, climate, and activities that I feel I have most everything covered...big city...lush, forested island with PERFECT summers...hot desert landscape on a tropical sea with PERFECT winters. Part of the early retirement plan was the ability to shuffle between these places on a whim...sick of the rain, down to the desert I go...then back north when I start to miss the verdant green, towering firs and cedars. I knew this lifestyle was waiting post-career, thus my "hair on fire" 10 year journey to FIRE status. The obvious allure of it was extremely motivating.

There's a Canadian guy (going by his license plate) who winters every year in our town (coastal S. FL) in one of the T@B teardrop trailers attached to a Buick sedan. (Looks like this: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m2lS-KA34ho/TeFpSwndQ8I/AAAAAAAAG0U/35AkZUUMKs8/s1600/SN851750.JPG )Seems to spend a lot of time at both the beach and the public library. Not sure where he parks at night as those two lots are closed then, but it looks like his version of flying south for the winter is done pretty inexpensively.

Alsoi wanted to add for you reverse snowbirds (or maybe both) to check out ski resorts and mountain communities in summer and especially fall for great deals often a quarter of the cost of the high ski season. I once stayed in a nice upscale hotel in Winter Park CO in the beginning of Sept for a week that went for $500/night during ski season for $35/night! Just because it was slow season. Weather was perfect, tons of outdoor activities, long days, few people and cheap! Vacation rentals are very inexpensive at ski resorts in summer and fall too. You can often get a place for an entire month for much less than the weekly rate - or even the daily rate - in ski season.

We have our motorhome in FL. just north of Tampa, at the moment. Oddly enough, I just did a volunteer project with a bunch of wanderers who have all kinds of living arrangements from full timing in a very small mini-vans and trailers to giant RVs, to having a sticks and bricks home base that they spend months at. Two people I met have pretty interesting situations. One had a place at a ski resort in New England. The significant revenue stream from ski season rentals more than covered the annual costs of ownership. Which is pretty handy, given that she had no interest in being their for ski season. The other is shopping for an ocean front rental in Alabama. This will allow him to stay in a warm, but less perfect climate to spend a long winter season, then have a long summer rental season to cover all of his costs, and provide a modest profit.

The possibility of doing a semi-annual migration between two profit generating homes in two desirable climates is a pretty interesting thought.

I also vote for multiple homes that are cash flow positive as a retirement strategy. I strongly prefer a sense of home when moving around. I don't think I'd enjoy an RV park as much.

We already do this with two homes in different locations in Canada like Jon Snow.

I would like to find the winter spot for a third place - likely in the US given our northern winter climate. Making it make financial sense in a place we would like visit November-February is the challenge.

Not a snowbird yet, but hopefully as a business owner as we wind down our daily involvement in businesses we'll be spending more time in warm weather.

We bought a home in Maricopa, AZ, which was hard hit with the housing crisis. A vast majority of the town was built by developers between 2004-2008, so when the crash hit, it hit hard. We had a friend who bought there, and we watched as the home prices tumbled. We finally decided to pull the trigger a couple years ago and hit the market at it's low practically to the month. It was a little scary because of the sheer number of for sale signs, but we figured either prices eventually would go up or they'd have to bulldoze part of the city.

This city was allowed to crash and burn fast, so the value has doubled in just a few short years. We bought an un-mustaschian 2500 sqft. home for $94,000. We don't regret the size as it is perfect as we often have big groups staying with us. It was a short sale. Took about 5 months to close, but the place was clean and well maintained. The neighborhood is NOT a retirement neighborhood. Just a simple middle class area. We have a great neighbor who we pay to trim our trees, and he keeps an eye on the place. Our neighborhood is a mix of full time homeowners, some renters, and some snowbirds. Groceries and other shopping is within a mile.

It isn't a "trendy" place, and it is a little removed from Phoenix (about 20 minutes) but it is perfect for us.

I definitely have snow bird in my blood, as my great-grandfather started being a WI/TX snowbird in his 40s after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. He started "after the war" according to my grandma, which basically makes it the earliest people could feasibly travel that far each ear. He lived to 96. He'd "dry up the cows for the winter," and have a neighbor feed them. He was definitely mustaschian in his day to day spending.

The problem I've found with Phoenix and Palm springs is the lack of character and culture. We don't golf and the weather is a factor but not everything. I find strip malls and gated communities not all that appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot with good winter weather, charm and affordable prices?

College towns in the southeast usually offer more "culture"/charm, and relatively warm weather. The suburbs down here are the planned out golfing, gated community-type, but the college towns are old and keep more of their art/cultural/music feel (Think Clemson, SC, Athens, Ga, Baton Rouge, LA)...Cities with old trees, old buildings, rivers, railroads and downtown "squares." There's also Asheville, NC, Chattanooga and Nashville, TN (not college towns but still lots of funky culture and older feel..breweries, mountains, etc)The weather isn't as warm as southern Texas or Arizona through the winter I don't think, but there is good hiking in the Appalachians.

My husband and I retired 4 1/2 yrs ago at 46 & 50 yrs old.He is Australian and I am Canadian.

We have our home and rental properties in Canada, so we consider this home.We spend the summer in Canada and then fly to Australia for the remainder of the year. (approx 7 months)

In Australia, we have our van (fitted with double bed, fridge etc) that we leave at my MIL's home.We mostly travel around and house sit while there.It gives us a home (one place we have house sat 4x) and pets to care for, which we like.Everything is provided, except our food.Win-Win for them and us.

The problem I've found with Phoenix and Palm springs is the lack of character and culture. We don't golf and the weather is a factor but not everything. I find strip malls and gated communities not all that appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot with good winter weather, charm and affordable prices?

I plan to maintain my Wyoming domicile as it has the lowest overall tax burden in the union and spend Nov-May there with a month of the year in SoCal with family and the rest roaming BLM land hanging out in Yellowstone, the Tetons, the Wind River Range and the Southern Rockies in Colorado - fishing backpacking and camping in the summer. Very excited...

Those of you with multiple homes: how do you deal with your unoccupied home to keep it safe and functional?

We live in a resort community. Of the 2400-2500 existing homes, roughly 85% are only occupied on an occasional basis, weekends, vacation weeks, etc... So, it's a great place to leave a home unoccupied, it doesn't stick out as being unusual, or abandoned, and so far there are no issues.

Those of you with multiple homes: how do you deal with your unoccupied home to keep it safe and functional?

The first couple of years we did rent it out, but the last 3, we leave it empty, in case we want to return early.In our case, it is an apt, so we dont need to worry about it so much.

This is the main reason I'd prefer to dump the house and get a small apt or condo. Just lock the door and go as long as you want without worry if you own it, or just move out while you travel (if you travel long term) and re-rent when you are ready to stay put in one area. But I have a dog so apt living is much harder.

The problem I've found with Phoenix and Palm springs is the lack of character and culture. We don't golf and the weather is a factor but not everything. I find strip malls and gated communities not all that appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot with good winter weather, charm and affordable prices?

Savannah, GA. Raleigh, NC. FL Panhandle. Austin, TX. I also like Biloxi, MS, but I realize I'm in the minority on that one. You could also consider Knoxville or Nashville, TN. It'd be a little bit colder than the aforementioned places, though.

If you are willing/able to to spend more, look at the California coast...Good weather year-round.

I migrate *TO* the snow in the winter, well in small chunks of time. I live in a winter paradise weather-wise in South Florida. So I go to Colorado to go skiing in the winter. :-)

However, I'd like to escape the hot and humid summers we have. Going in the beach is nice in the summer, but that's about it. It's also hurricane season and rains every afternoon. There really are few reasons to like where I live in the summer. :-(

Does that make me a sand-bird or a hot-and-humid-bird (what I'm escaping)?

There was a joke going around when the Florida Panthers hockey team started up. We already had the Heat basketball team. So people wanted the name of the hockey team to be the Florida Humidity. That way we could say "it's not the Heat that sucks, it's the Humidity". I guess the joke wouldn't be so funny these days with our winning Heat team.

College towns in the southeast usually offer more "culture"/charm, and relatively warm weather. The suburbs down here are the planned out golfing, gated community-type, but the college towns are old and keep more of their art/cultural/music feel (Think Clemson, SC, Athens, Ga, Baton Rouge, LA)...Cities with old trees, old buildings, rivers, railroads and downtown "squares." There's also Asheville, NC, Chattanooga and Nashville, TN (not college towns but still lots of funky culture and older feel..breweries, mountains, etc)The weather isn't as warm as southern Texas or Arizona through the winter I don't think, but there is good hiking in the Appalachians.

That's wha tI wuld want, town, squares, and old houses.

Also I don't need "warm" weather in the winter, just not freezing. 40's 50's F is ok

Those of you with multiple homes: how do you deal with your unoccupied home to keep it safe and functional?

The first couple of years we did rent it out, but the last 3, we leave it empty, in case we want to return early.In our case, it is an apt, so we dont need to worry about it so much.

This is the main reason I'd prefer to dump the house and get a small apt or condo. Just lock the door and go as long as you want without worry if you own it, or just move out while you travel (if you travel long term) and re-rent when you are ready to stay put in one area. But I have a dog so apt living is much harder.

I like my house but sometimes wish I had gone with a condo or apartment too. I'm here for the next 10 years and have 2 big dogs so I only dream about the freedom I could have. I'm torn between wanting to fix it up and enjoying that and also wishing I could just wash my hands and move into a camper van and travel.

What's your risk tolerance? You can "buy" a pretty nice place in Cuba for not too much money on the Caribbean. Prices are skyrocketing right now in anticipation of the government easing restrictions in the future, or Americans being able to buy.

We were looking at buying a house in a small town on the beach for $6000 two years ago. I think now the price is 10 or 15 k. Some places in Havana that were selling for 15-20 k a few years ago are going for 70+ now, and a comparable place in Miami would sell for 500k.

Living expenses there are dirt cheap, like $100 a month. By default the lifestyle is mustachian, since fancy stuff isn't really available. If you don't need a job, is easy to get by.

Great for biking.

By "buy", I mean that you have to find a Cuban who is willing to buy the place on your behalf since foreigners can not legally own property in Cuba. You enter an arrangement with the Cuban that you finance the place and you can live there for a given time time (usually 6-11 months a year) and that the Cuban can not sell the property. Pay the Cuban as a "caretaker".

The agreement isn't legally enforceable but it seems a fair number of people sort it out somehow. We could probably retire right now and do this, except for me the BIG downside is... No internet. Email yes but still no web.

We've been researching inexpensive places to go in the winter and Mexico seems to have a lot of options, see the post at the below site for a starting point. We plane on going next year and have budgeted about $1,100 per month for all costs in Playa del Carmen.

We just bought a book which details out one inexpensive locations around the world but it's not here yet.

We have a house in San Diego and a condo in Montreal. The neighbours upstairs watch the condo for us when we are gone over the winter, a relative stays in our house in San Diego when we are in Montreal for the summer.

I'm buggered if I want to spend another winter here near Ottawa... We're still going to get down to -16 degrees C at night in the next week! It's driving me crazy, my mum in France has daffodils, etc, etc. I'm used to daffodils in February (UK)!

So I'm... persuading... the wife. We're thinking of a month in FL next year (her dad winters in The Villages - we wouldn't go there, too expensive, but not too far away).

I'd like to do BC full time (well - considering you're on the West Coast, lots of nice stuff to see driving south, but not 3 months of snow! Did I say 3? I meant 4!). Somewhere inexpensive, on Vancouver Island, I think.

Tangerine Orange Key: 48322202S1. Honestly I prefer Simplii (was PC Financial) to Tangerine, but you get $50 for signing up (and so do I), so whatever. Simplii is a stupid name.

PayTM - pay bills with your credit card. Like Plastiq, but currently a lot of stuff that Plastiq charges for is free. My code is PTM9691063, pay a $50 bill and we both get $10 in PayTM cash which you can use on the next bill. Good for min spend, at least.

Mustachians who escape winter: where do you go? What does your winter place have to offer? It's hard to spot a Mustachian snowbird destination... lots of luxury and golf on offer, so finding something more suitable to a frugal and active Mustachian is going to take some looking. But maybe you already know the perfect spot?

Myself, I'm looking for place with lots of outdoor activities and natural beauty, especially great biking and hiking, preferably with some good hills, or actual mountains. Low cost of living would be nice, must be possible to bring my cats. I'd enjoy taking advantage of longer days in the southern hemisphere, though want to feel secure, especially if I go out alone.

Do you already live in paradise, or at least go there in winter? Tell us about it!

You don't say what kind of living accommodations you have or want. Are you a RV'er or do you require a house?

The problem I've found with Phoenix and Palm springs is the lack of character and culture. We don't golf and the weather is a factor but not everything. I find strip malls and gated communities not all that appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot with good winter weather, charm and affordable prices?

Anna Maria Island, Florida is really lovely. Charm and good weather. Not so affordable though. You could rent a condo pretty cheaply if you look hard.

Our primary home in NorCal is so temperate that we have yet to turn on the A/C this summer. However, it gets a bit chillier than we'd like in the winter. With a goal of no A/C in the summer and no heat in the winter, we've been buying property in a retirement/resort community in Palm Desert, which is adjacent to Palm Springs.

One of the houses has a Casita, which we use as our base for now. Once DH fully retires, we will take over each rental property in sequence, update it while we live in it and then sell it off. We may keep one, we might not.

I saw a complaint upthread that I'd like to address. Yes, there are a metric craptons of strip malls, shopping centers and restaurants in Palm Springs/Palm Desert, but they are only superficial. The opportunity to commune with nature is immense. Joshua Tree, Living Desert, Running Springs, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, Salton Sea, PS Aerial Tramway, multiple peaks above ten thousand feet. Literally hundreds of miles of trails and back roads. National parks and dense forests, free camping on BLM land. Then there's world class tennis and multiple casinos that offer an endless parade of headliners if that's your bag. Interesting architecture, a vast number of free activities, some high quality museums, great theater. A burgeoning concert and festival scene. (Coachella, anyone?) Wonderful hospitals and a huge Community College with a myriad of lifelong learning courses and a killer Swap Meet. And that gated community you sneer at? Over eighty different clubs delving into any topic that interests three or more people. Oh, and I think you can play a little golf if you like. Plus, the cost of housing is pretty low, especially compared to the rest of CA. [Wow, that got long quickly and I didn't even Google anything. I'm sure I've missed things, but I hope I've made my point]

Wherever you go in the world, you can always dig in a little more to find the hidden gems. (C'mon, if everybody knew about them, they'd be crowded. And expensive.)

Logged

I did it! I have a journal! A Lot Like ThisAnd hell yes, I am still moving confidently in the direction of my dreams...

I'm really interested in this topic. We are thinking of migrating South for the winter.

We were just in SoCal and the weather was lovely and nice to see palm and citrus trees.

It would be nice to own a place that we can rent out pt but pulling the trigger on that at current exchange rates isn't so attractive.

We're going to check out Arizona next.

|Totoro, I have the answer for you. Anna Maria Island. November to beginning of February is their slow season for rentals. Renting out the rest of the year will bring you 60K plus depending on the house. AMI is a barrier island north of Sarasota, florida. Absolutely gorgeous beaches. Quaint island.

I'm really interested in this topic. We are thinking of migrating South for the winter.

We were just in SoCal and the weather was lovely and nice to see palm and citrus trees.

It would be nice to own a place that we can rent out pt but pulling the trigger on that at current exchange rates isn't so attractive.

We're going to check out Arizona next.

|Totoro, I have the answer for you. Anna Maria Island. November to beginning of February is their slow season for rentals. Renting out the rest of the year will bring you 60K plus depending on the house. AMI is a barrier island north of Sarasota, florida. Absolutely gorgeous beaches. Quaint island.

Tangerine Orange Key: 48322202S1. Honestly I prefer Simplii (was PC Financial) to Tangerine, but you get $50 for signing up (and so do I), so whatever. Simplii is a stupid name.

PayTM - pay bills with your credit card. Like Plastiq, but currently a lot of stuff that Plastiq charges for is free. My code is PTM9691063, pay a $50 bill and we both get $10 in PayTM cash which you can use on the next bill. Good for min spend, at least.

A little over 3 months in Boulder County, CO during the summer. First week of May to second week of August. We also do 3 weeks over winter break and one week over spring break. The rest of the time is on Kauai in Hawaii.

I still manage to get 15-20 days of snowboarding in at the Rocky Mountains. I get about 3-4 days over winter break, 4-5 days over spring break and about 8-10 days from the first week of May until closing at A-Basin. I get the A-Basin/Keystone pass every year.

Nov 1 to May 1 in Lake Havasu AZ. Rest of the time in Kalispell MT. This works for us.

We have homes in these locations but we also are getting into the RV scene. We use a small camper in MT to go camping within a few hundred miles from our home.

Same thing in AZ but with a larger 5th wheel camper. We stay out longer in AZ. Last winter we went to Yuma and surrounding areas. We also spent time in Quartzsite AZ. Loved Silly Al's and all the shopping.

Also go to Laughlin & stay in the parking lot when we get a batch of bad weather. Just hit the casinos, drink, eat, then walk back to the camper.

There is travel in between as well. This year we are going to try and spend 4 weeks in transit leaving MT on Oct 1. We will camp at Bannack MT, 5th springs UT, Valley of the Goblins UT, Moab UT, Sedona AZ then to LHC.

We tried this last year & ended up only spending a week on the road LOL. I need to learn how to relax and not focus on getting there.

Just a note on AirBnB, when you look for month stays a lot of people will do 25-50% off regular prices... check it out... we were thinking of going for a month away somewhere and found quite a few deals like that.

My dad is a snowbird and he winters in Thailand. There are quite a few English-speaking expats in Thailand - he is in the north, in Chiang Mai. His situation is a little bit different because his wife is Thai, so they have a house purchase in her name (there are strict rules regarding foreign property purchase) and I believe he paid about $80k (CAD) for a very nice three-bedroom home in a gated community. Cars are super expensive there but motorcycles are very cheap and very common. The cost of food/drink is negligible. The climate is very pleasant during the winter (it can get super hot though). He really likes it, as do a number of other of his expat friends. It's a super long flight though. He goes in late October/November and generally comes back in early April.

I live in the NC mountains & it's wonderful in the Spring, Summer, & Fall. Beech Mountain has the highest elevation of any town in the East, and it feels like A/C in July. It's a ski town in Winter, but there's a golf course up there too. There are hiking & biking trails all around the town, and a rec center with indoor & outdoor tennis courts. Trout streams are everywhere & Watauga Lake is about 15 minutes away. I'm sure there are some good deals on Beech in the warm months, since it's mainly considered a ski town.

There are a lot of snowbirds who flock to the ritzier communities nearby; like Blowing Rock, Linville, & Banner Elk. Elk River, one of the gated neighborhoods across the valley has a private jet port and Linville Ridge has a "Teton like" view of Grandfather Mountain.

Our place is on the affordable side of Beech Mtn., in Sugar Grove, NC. Just a few miles away, across the TN line, property is less touristy and more affordable.

We're getting tired of the bitter Winters, and I can see us becoming snowbirds too eventually.

The problem I've found with Phoenix and Palm springs is the lack of character and culture. We don't golf and the weather is a factor but not everything. I find strip malls and gated communities not all that appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot with good winter weather, charm and affordable prices?

I much prefer Tucson to Phoenix. Still pretty cheap, but with more character. That's probably where we'll go if we decide to do the snowbird thing.